Central Pa. rockers The Districts sign with Fat Possum Records

This just in: The Lancaster rock and roll band The Districts have signed with Fat Possum records. We’ve been big fans of the band since they released their debut album, Kitchen Songs, followed by their recent album, Telephone, which has been getting lots of airplay on WXPN. The Key’s John Vettese, who judged the Beta Hi-Fi Battle of the Bands at World Cafe Live at the Queen in Delaware in September, 2012 had this to say about the band:

Walking away with first place was The Districts, an impressive young four-piece from Lititz, in Lancaster County. The band channeled the rock-and-soul vibe of Cold War Kids and Spoon; singer Rob Grote’s searing voice cut across the concert hall, blending with the band’s smartly-arranged instrumental interplay. They do the very Pixies loud-quiet-LOUD thing, but in a more textured way than simply turning their overdrive pedals on and off. A thundering swell cuts, leaving a clean guitar arpeggio floating in space as Grote catches his breath; the verses build in waves, with the heaviness sometimes derived just from Braden Lawrence’s drums. Grote is an intense, emphatic, occasionally bewildering stage presence – he kicks, stomps and snarls, both at the mic and far away – but guitarist Mark Larson and bassist Connor Jacobus hold their own, shuffling and bobbing and giving the overall band a dynamic stage presence. Watch these guys close – they’re moving fast.

A month after The Districts won the Beta Hi-Fi competition, the band recorded a Key Studio Session, and they played the XPoNential Music Festival last summer. You can listen to the band’s fiery set here.

Join us in congratulating the band on their signing and we’re happy to have The Districts as a part of our musical family. They’ll be out on tour with White Denim, and they play Union Transfer on Thursday, February 27th. Below, listen to “Callbox” from their Key Studio Session, and watch the one-take video they recorded of “Funeral Beds.”